The kids aren't alright
by loboselina
Summary: David lives with his abusive step-father and his twin brother, but he dreams of escaping George to follow his dreams of working in the law. Mary's father claims to love her but she knows it's in no way a father should ever love his daughter, she wants to escape him and stand on her own two feet. The two meet at a Christmas party, but James met Mary first, so she already hates him
1. Spencer and 'Sons'

**This idea came to me while talking to Justanoutlaw and I was convinced by several over to write it, it's a 3 chapter short fic which maybe one day I'll finish writing.**

 **Also this fic is anti-George and Anti-Leopold because I always found the latter really creepy.**

 **TW for mention of abuse throughout.**

* * *

David leant back in his leather chair in his office, he tossed a desktop basketball above his head, and sighed as he did so. There was some paperwork on his desk he should look over and sigh, or just sign, as his stepfather always reminded him he was just a figurehead in the 'family' company. He was the spare heir in case James fully messed up.

He sighed again and placed the ball back onto his desk and he looked down at the few photo frames on this desk. There was one of he and his brother, they looked identical in every way, James always pointed out that he was older despite there only being a sixteen-minute difference.  
They were eight in the photograph, two years after their father had died, and not long after their mother had remarried, it was before they realised how George was. Before he hit James, or David, or even their mother Ruth.

David had become the one who most often bore the brunt of his anger, without Ruth knowing, he had hidden away pictures including their happier times when his father was still alive and in the ten years David thought it couldn't get any worse. Ruth died. His brother had fallen under George's influence, until George had stopped caring about him when James had become addicted to drugs, David hated that his brother had become addicted but it was the thing which brought them back together, so there was that at least.

"What are you doing?"

David's head snapped up. George was standing in the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest, there wasn't a single wrinkle in his designer suit which cost more than his house growing up. He stood there as though he owned the place… which considering the technology company was called 'Spencer and Sons Technology' he blatantly did. David was the same height as him now, he was stronger, he could easily defend himself if need be… but that didn't stop the fundamental fear he had for the man.  
"Just… looking over this paperwork."

George waved his hand to show it didn't matter. "You can just sign off on those, you don't need to read them, it's not like you'll understand them anyway."

David clenched his teeth. Hs hand curled into a fist.

"Understood?"

David clenched his teeth then looked up at his stepfather trying not to show any emotion he could interpret wrong. "Yes sir."

George looked at him, evaluating him, his suit was correct he wouldn't stand for anything less, there was no sign of the poor farm he had first met him on. He would do as an heir. He supposed. He did as he was told, after persuasion, and sales had boosted when he had turned his company into a family one, David was the responsible one out of the twins which was exactly the publicity his company needed to distract from certain things his business may or may not be doing.  
"You need a companion for the Christmas party tonight."

David refrained from sighing or rolling his eyes. "I don't have a _date._ "

"Then _find_ one." George growled. "Or I will. James will be taking Jaqueline, I have a _delicious_ date,-"

David pulled a look of revulsion, he knew that his stepfather didn't care about his mother, but his words were disgusting nonetheless.

"-so find one. I won't have my company looking like a failure, or my family, especially in front of people I do business with. Even your friend Mr Jensen has a date."

That one was news to him, but he just nodded his head, he didn't want to talk to him and drag out this conversation any longer. "Sure."

George nodded his head, David seemed to be saying the correct things, that didn't mean he liked it. "And find wherever the hell your brother went. He needs to show up to this meeting this afternoon." He turned and started to walk out of the office. "And give him your notes, I don't want him seeming like an idiot."

David rolled his eyes watching George walk out of his office. He sighed, threw his basketball at the wall, and scrubbed his hands through his hair. He heard his door open again and he wasn't sure that he was going to be able to talk to George again without an argument.

"You have on your 'I just talked to my step-daddy' face."

David let out a breath of laughter as he looked up to see Kristoff smirking as he sauntered into his office. David stood up to meet his friend, the two clasped hands then quickly hugged. "Don't say the word 'daddy' ever again. Please."

"Sure Dave." He scooped up David's ball from the floor and tossed it so that it ended up in the wastepaper basket. "What's up? You look even more stressed than usual."

"The usual, James going AWOL, George being a dick, and… and you!"

"Me?"

"You have a date for the party!?"

Kristoff chuckled. "You said you were going to try and skip."

"I…" David sighed. "Yeah, I tried… You know how it is, you said you were going to try and get out of it too."

"I was… but you're right, I know how it is, my father's forcing me to go. Oh hey, you wanna go to a party tonight."

"… You told your father that you have a date to get his hopes up, then decided to take me, just to piss him off?"

"Yes?"

"I've never been prouder, Kris." David grinned, he was glad that his best friend worked there too, otherwise he'd go mad. "Sure, I'll be your date, so long as you'll be mine too." He grabbed the keys to his jaguar as he spoke. "I gotta go make sure James is okay, I'll see you later on though." He walked out of the office calling back to Kristoff over his shoulder. "And buy me flowers or I'm dumping your ass."

* * *

Before long David was pulling up to the mansion, he shared with George and James, it was big enough that he could normally avoid his stepfather. He fondly remembered the apartment he lived in during college, he had thought he had escaped from this life, he already had his trust fund, he had got it as soon as he turned twenty-one, he was going to leave and only visit this mansion when he came back to visit his mother on holidays.

When his mother died and his brother dealt with his grief by starting to do drugs, alongside with dealing with his own grief, he ended up settling and staying at the mansion and working at George's company. He sat in his parked car and stared up at the huge white house. He sighed and climbed out of his car and into the house.

He found James almost immediately, sat at the island counter, clearly just woken up and drinking his weight in coffee. "George wanted to know where you were. You know you're actually meant to turn up to work, right?"

James looked over and smirked when he saw his brother in his suit, he knew he hated it, he watched his twin yank off his tie and grab a mug as he headed over to the coffee machine. "I'd heard that rumour, I figured it must not be true, as I'm still employed."

David let out a laugh, grabbing his coffee, he and his brother had differences but he normally made him laugh. "Well that's because of nepotism, you're the sons in 'Spencer and Sons', if he fired you-"

"-Then you could be the sons!" He grinned as David looked disgusted at that thought. "You have that degree, little bro, why don't you go do something with it?"

"You're barely older than me!"

"Sixteen minutes older, and a whole lot more attractive."

" _And_ we look the same. Anyway, George won't let me live in this house and not work for his business, and you'd clearly be lost without me."

"You have no faith in me." He joked as he stood up. "Hey, wasn't I meant to be at work for something today?"

"Yeah, big important meeting, you're right you don't need me at all."

"Ah yeah, well that'll be boring. Guess I'll wing it."

David rolled his eyes and pulled some notes from his suit pocket before throwing it down on the stool beside him. "Don't wing it, George is going to be there."

"Sure Davey." James said but there was still an amused smile on his face.

David sighed again which he found himself doing more and more these days.

* * *

Once James had gone he grabbed his laptop and started to scour through the internet, all the pages of jobs he could get with his degree, further courses he could take, places he could move to. He had found some places, in the town closest to the farm he grew up on, when George came thundering into the kitchen. He slammed his laptop shut and stood up, he knew that George's tempestuous temper could be set off by pretty much anything.

"You love to make me out to be a fool." George growled.

"I don- I don't know what you're talking about, I haven't done anything, I was just working on stuff from home."

George laughed bitterly. "You know full well what I'm talking about."

"I really d-"

A crack sounded through the kitchen, David hadn't expected the open hand hit, he had to catch himself on the counter to stop himself from falling on the floor as he stumbled to the side.

"Don't interrupt me when I'm talking." George glared at the young man whose hand was cradling his cheek as though to stop any more blows. "You're so lucky that I need you around for when your brother fucks up again."

David just watched in silence as George left the kitchen. He still had no idea what George thought he had done, he doubted it was anything, it never was. He grabbed an icepack from the freezer and pressed it to his face, he glanced over at his laptop. He would not be moving out. George paid for James' posh therapist to keep him clean, he had almost lost his brother entirely the last time he had slipped up, James was his brother. He had no one else. He couldn't leave him.


	2. Important Announcement

**As of _9th of January 2018 I will exclusively be posting fics on AO3, not on FF.  
_** I'm trying to give everyone enough time to sign up for an account on this site, that being said you can still read and leave comments as a guest. I've been hoping not to have to make this announcement but despite my strong message to them last time they reviewed they have done it again.

Like other Charming Family writers a certain troll has been sending hate to me on every fic I write, and while it's easy to try and ignore them this has been going on for several months and they ignore every thing I try to say to them about it, and as they comment through guest it is impossible to block them, AO3 has ways to prevent this. I wish I didn't have to do this but they're really ruining my enjoyment of writing, I've even put off updating many fics because of this one person.

I will be posting no new fics to FF however I will post the end chapters to any fics I have up on this site when the fics are completed. This includes:

 **Snowing (/Charming family) Fics:**

 ** _+12 Days of Charming Family Christmas_**

 ** _+Cherry Wine_**

 ** _+In any Universe_**

 ** _+Kiddo_**

 ** _+The Kids aren't alright_**

 **Red Snowing (/Charming Family)**

 ** _+A Different Kind of Family_**

 ** _+First comes love, then comes marriage, third comes a baby_**

 ** _+Three's not a crowd_**

Dependant on how I feel later in time I might return to , however this is only if the troll ceases to act in this way, I will still respond to any personal messages sent through FF, and will continue to read, follow, and comment on other fics.

 ** _My AO3 account is_** ** _/users/LoboMarshall_** ** _if you want to follow me there. I am also reachable through Tumblr loboselinaistrash and loboselinafanfiction, as well as through Twitter loboselinaff_**


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